The Wisconsin Sportscast

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Brewers Start Their Roster Shakeup, and a Badger Gets a Big Payday Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates start by remembering Ryne Sandberg, who passed this week at the age of 65. A Hall of Famer with 10 All Star Team invites, 9 Golden Gloves, and hundreds of stolen bases, Oates calls him a quiet professional. He wasn’t particularly showy and not a loud mouth, he was a linchpin in a group of players who helped revive the Cubs. He even had a game named after him, the Sandberg Game back in 1984, when he famously helped the Cubs beat the Cardinals in extra innings. He was a player that everyone could respect, even Brewers and Cardinals fans. That’ll be on display Tuesday night, when the Brewers hold a moment of silence in his honor ahead of their game against the Cubs.

Speaking of the Brewers, they made their first big move ahead of the trade deadline on Monday by acquiring catcher Danny Jansen. A Wisconsin native, Jansen attended Appleton West High School before being drafted to the Blue Jays in 2013. His addition means that means that Eric Haase is going to have to go. He caught lightning in a bottle last year, but this season just hasn’t been working out for him. Add in the fact that William Contreras is the type of guy who doesn’t like to sit out, he just doesn’t fit in with the team.

The trade deadline is just days away now, and the one big question on everyone's mind is: will the Brewers get their power hitter. The big name being thrown around is Eugenio Suárez, but can they actually make that kind of move? Lucas says no way, but Oates thinks that they’ll be at least trying. They better try at the very least, if the team is truly serious about getting more than a few games into the postseason.

Finally, moving away from baseball, a former Badger Football player is getting a big payday: Jake Ferguson has signed a $52 million four-year extension with the Dallas Cowboys. He is now the highest paid tight end in Cowboys franchise history, and hey, he deserves it. He’s being rewarded for a great career. He has a big catch radius, he runs well, he’s smart and he’s competitive. Sure, tight ends might not be the most recognizable names on the roster, but they are beginning to be paid like they should be better recognized.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Bill Brophy and the Brewers are the Best Team in Baseball Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Oates is away on assignment, so former Wisconsin State Journal Sports Editor Bill Brophy joins Lucas to talk about what everyone is talking about these days: the Brewers. As of recording on Tuesday evening, the Brewers are on an 11 game winning streak and currently hold the best record in all of baseball. At 60-40, they have also overtaken the Cubs NL Central leaders after months of chasing. Brophy gives the credit to Pat Murphy, who he calls a true old school manager. He isn’t afraid to sit guys out when they aren’t doing too hot or have a conversation with them about changes that need to be made. Just look at Joey Ortiz, who before the All Star Break was struggling to hit the ball and is now starting to find contact after changing up his stance.

The Brewers have a lot of great athletes top to bottom, even if they are still lacking a real power hitter. Even without that power hitter though, their starting rotation is strong enough that as long as they can get a few on the board they have a real chance at winning. Brophy was sent to Arizona during spring training this year, so he got a chance to see some of the relatively unknown names that now make up the lineup, including Jacob Misiorowski. Did Brophy think he would turn into The Miz, a star so big he gets recognized buying toilet paper? No way, he says. Even he was taken by surprise by his performance in the majors so far. Then you add in Brandon Woodruff, who seems to have gotten even better after his surgery, and the Brewers might have one of the best pitching rotations in baseball.

Still, they need that big bat, and with the trade deadline just around the corner some names have been thrown around. But then who do you replace? Lucas thinks Caleb Durbin will have to be the one to go. He’s been a good asset at 3rd base, but if someone needs to go it’ll likely be him. Is there a lot of baseball yet to be played? Of course there is. As Pat Murphy put it, it’s still July. But for now, Brewers fans can celebrate a little bit at the very least.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Miz is an All Star and the Brewers Stay Hot Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, the MLB Home Run Derby was Monday night to mixed reviews. Cal Raleigh won the event and remains one of the top hitters in all of baseball. It was a family affair for the Big Dumper, with both his father pitching to him and his brother catching behind him. Over 20 years ago, the event was held at Miller Park in Milwaukee, and none other than Tom Oates was there (he has the newspaper column the next day with his byline to prove it). In addition to almost getting nailed with a fly ball during batting practice, Oates made some prophetic statements after the 2002 on the state of steroid usage at the time. Thankfully, that part of the sport has mostly cleared up.

Tuesday night was the All Star Game (taking place after the recording of this podcast), and Brewers pitcher Jacob Mizerowski is continuing to make headlines with his addition to the team. The problem is that this time, most of the headlines are negative, with people agree that a pitcher with only five starts under his belt made it to the All Star Game. Oates understands the anger a little bit, after all some players try their entire career to be asked to join the game. But at the end of the day, the All Star Game is a TV show, not a game that will decide who’s going to the playoffs. If the fans want to see the Miz (guess what, they do), then why not have him in the game!

Meanwhile, the rest of the team in Milwaukee is staying red hot, putting the most wins on the board before the All Star Break in their entire franchise history. Both Lucas and Oates admit, they’re a little surprised. Go back a handful of episodes on this very podcast, and you’ll find them wondering whether or not the team did enough in the offseason. They didn’t make any big, splashy moves, but that doesn’t seem to matter. They have one of the best pitching teams in all of baseball right now, and even if their hitting isn’t on fire it’s still clearly doing enough. Oates gives the kudos to the front office, for everything from team culture to player acquisition and development. They’ll be just one game behind the Cubs coming out of the All Star Break, and hopefully they make some splashy moves then.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Woodruff Returns to the Mound, and Braun Captains a Derby Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, the Brewers stay hot as Jacob Misiorowski returns to the mound Tuesday evening to go head-to-head against the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw. The Miz had a small hiccup against the Mets, but it’ll still be exciting to see him take on an elite pitcher like Kershaw. Kershaw’s been around for a long time, recently passing 3,000 strikeouts, maybe one of the last to do it considering how starting pitchers are used today. But while the hype still hasn’t died down for The Miz, the next few games he pitches will be really telling. Now that he has a few starts under his belt in the majors, teams are starting to watch him and make a plan on how to deal with him. Whatever happens, his hype and the return of the great Brandon Woodruff makes for exciting baseball.

The Brewers are playing great all around, and Woodruff’s big win over the weekend really gave the team the shot in the arm that they need. Everyone is starting to hit the ball really well, and putting some real power behind those hits. Add in Woodruff throwing 96 mph fastballs in his first return to the mound in nearly two years, and it’s hard not to get excited. Woodruff has had eight years in the majors, all of them with the Brewers, and he’s someone who’s well liked and respected in the locker room. The Brewers are a young team these days, and having veteran leaders like Woodruff and Christian Yelich around are important to building up the team. When you mix veteran leaders with competitive and winning young guys, like Turang and Frelick, you have a real recipe for success.

Freddy Peralta, meanwhile, will be heading to Georgia after he was selected to play in the All-Star Game. In theory, at least. He also might be pitching for the Brewers this weekend, which would make it difficult for him to also throw in the All-Star Game, but that just means another pitcher would go in his stead. The Home Run Derby will also take place next week, and the lineup is not looking too impressive. Of course, the Home Run Derby is not the main focus of the year, and all the real top hitters are likely resting up so that they can focus on winning games. But speaking of Home Run Derbys, the Brewers will be hosting an alumni Home Run Derby later this month with Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez playing team captains. There are some… interesting names on the list of players that they can pick from, but it’ll still be fun to watch some of the older guys get out there and hit some home runs. But what will the fans think of Ryan Braun when he returns to Milwaukee? Have they forgiven him for his mistakes, and for covering up those mistakes? Or will he get the Brett Favre treatment?

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Bucks Make Big Moves Good and Bad, and The Miz is Heating Up Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, the Bucks made a series of moves in recent days, maybe most disappointingly releasing Dame Lillard. He was a 2024 All Star MVP and played 113 games with Milwaukee, an undeniable great player! But not a great fit for Milwaukee, Oates thinks. You can’t have two ball-dominant superstars on one team. Add in the fact that he will be out most of next season, is approaching 35, and would cost too much for the Bucks, and it’s no real surprise that he’s out. In his place is Myles Turner off the heels of an NBA Finals appearance. He has to be happy, as without Haliburton the Pacer will not be nearly as competitive next year. Turner was signed on a four year contract, and at 29 he’s exactly what the Bucks need: young and athletic. Unfortunately, the Bucks also had to lose a few more players, namely Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton. Lopez was great in his prime, but has slowed down in recent years. And Connaughton is a bit of a fan favorite, but doesn’t have the ability to keep up with the Doc Rivers Bucks. Will the team be good enough for Giannis to be happy? No, Oates says, they aren’t a winning team quite yet. Lucas says they need one more good player to really round things out and be competitive.

In a whirlwind of other basketball news, Nigel Hayes-Davis is back playing in America after he signed a deal with the Phoenix Suns. Hayes improved in his time in Wisconsin, and seems to have improved more in Europe, so it’ll be great to see him play in the NBA. He’ll certainly have some play time, it’s not like the Suns are a particularly competitive team these days anyways. Over in Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has signed a massive $71 million contract with the team. Is it excessive? Yes, but will it actually help the Thunder next year (if they do in fact need help after winning a title)? Big money contracts can hamper a team, making it more difficult to find guys who can lift up those big money players. Just look at the Bucks! Finally, a handful of Badgers are NBA bound. John Tonje is going to Utah after he was picked in the second round, and Steven Crowl will play in their summer league this year. Do either have a chance to actually see some playtime? Maybe, but not right away.

Finally, the Brewers offensive is heating up again, and so is their shiny new pitcher Jacob Misiorowski. Not only can The Miz throw good heat, but his throws have some movement to them too. It’s one thing to throw a 100 mph pitch right down the middle, it’s a lot harder to hit one that’s moving around on you. There were concerns about his pitch control when he first came up, and those concerns aren’t completely gone, but as long as he isn’t walking five guys every inning, we won’t complain.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Badgers Sue Miami and A Major Pitching Matchup in Milwaukee Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, the Wisconsin Badgers football team announced that they are suing the University of Miami. They’re accusing the school of tampering with the Badgers’ signing of Xavier Lucas, who supposedly already signed a contract with Wisconsin before being called away to Miami. What do those contracts look like? Who knows, the schools are all pretty secretive about the whole deal. But the NCAA and the Big 10 are certainly backing Wisconsin in this fight. A legal win for Wisconsin would give some validity to signed contracts and might even give the NCAA some teeth in fighting school hopping and poaching of student athletes from any college sport. But, it could also lead to issues down the road for the NCAA too, as pretty soon it would be hard to argue that the players aren’t employees, and employees can unionize, and we know the NCAA doesn’t want that. But while we don’t know how strong these contracts are exactly, they have to be strong enough for Wisconsin to think they have a chance here. The bottom line is this though: we’ll have to wait for the courts to do their thing and Lucas isn’t playing in Wisconsin no matter what.

Meanwhile in the NBA, Oklahoma City beat the Pacers to take home the national championship after Tyrese Haliburton went out with a torn achilles. He’ll likely be out at least most of next season, which means another top NBA player is out with injuries. The best players in the league are out here suffering, Oates says, and the owners need to really think about toning down their schedule a bit. Just look at how many Bucks playoff runs have been derailed due to bad injuries, including just this year! Meanwhile, the “experts” sitting behind a broadcast booth on national TV were accusing Haliburton of faking it to get out of playing in the finals, because what competitor would want to sit out of a national championship game?

But that’s the past, and in the near future of the NBA is the draft, taking place this week. The first two spots are likely already taken by Cooper Flag and Dylan Harper, but the rest of the spots are anyone’s guess. Where does that leave John Tonje? Oates thinks he’s a second round pick, and while that doesn’t guarantee any sort of future in the NBA he thinks he has a good chance. He’s a versatile player who can hit three’s, so hopefully someone can find a long-term home for him.

Finally, there’s set to be a great matchup at American Family Field Wednesday night as two of the top young pitchers go head-to-head: Jacob Misiorowski and Paul Skenes. If you can catch the game, it will be a great one to watch. Misiorowski only has two games under his belt so far, but they’ve been more than impressive. Skenes, meanwhile, is more proven even with a not so great team. The matchup is great for the entire sport, Lucas says, but even more so for the Brewers as their hitting begins to wake up only a few games behind the Cubs.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Mike Mahnke: 33 Years (and Going) as the Voice of Camp Randall and the Kohl Center Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Oates is on assignment, so Lucas brings in a new co-host for the week: Mike Mahnke! If you don’t know his name, you certainly know his voice if you’ve been to a Badger Football or Basketball game in recent decades. Mike has been the PA announcer for Camp Randall and the Kohl Center since the early 90s, and he has no intention of stopping. After taking over the role after the passing of Jack Rein, his first called football game was a nationally televised game against Colorado. Sure, the Badgers got their butts beat and the game took place on the due date for his second child (his wife was in the audience, at least it’s close to Meriter hospital), but since then Mike has been the voice of Camp Randall and the Kohl Center.

Mike grew up in Racine, and after graduating high school in 1977 started a career with the Army. After a few years overseas in Germany, he came home and started his college career at UW Madison, graduating with degrees in Theater and German Literature. While he came from a family of educators, his heart was initially set on either TV or radio, though he realized that that was not meant to be. He got a job in marketing in Madison after one semester of grad school, and works with clients both locally and nationally. While working at a firm he also began calling women’s basketball games, and eventually became the voice we know today.

Maybe his most infamous calls came just a few years into his career when he gave a personalized spin to calling the runs of Ron Dayne (or as he would say, Roooooooonnnnn Daaayyyynnneee). Mike says he didn’t even know that the fans would repeat it back to him, but later they would ask him to emulate his calls for answering machines and even wedding ceremonies. Mike was a fan of football, so he says it’s only natural that he would put a little excitement into the plays of such a great player. Years later, Mike says Dayne thanked him for giving him a little extra love on the field.

Mike gives his thoughts on the differences between calling games at the Kohl Center versus Camp Randall. For one, he gets to sit right on the floor at the Kohl Center, instead of his little booth at Camp Randall. Sitting on the floor not only gives him a close-up view of the game, but it allows him to better feel out the fans, and lets him act as cheerleader to help rally the team. The energy is completely different, he says, with the intimate environment of the Kohl Center helping to fuel his calls. But whether he’s calling basketball games, football games, or even the occasional volleyball matches, he says he isn’t going anywhere. Even if Greg Gard continues to scout in Europe and brings in more players with difficult-to-pronounce names.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Remembering Jerry Petitgoue and Jaire Has Left Green Bay Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates remember Jerry Petitgoue, who passed away at the age of 84. Jerry is the winningest coach in Wisconsin high school basketball history, achieving a staggering 1027 wins in his career. Most of those wins were made in Cuba City, where he coached for over 50 years. He was a giant, Oates says, and his record will likely never be beat. Petitgoue was a flexible coach, which you have to be when you coach for over 50 years, and took home a handful of state championships. His championships spanned decades, winning in 81, 91, and 98, and each team was a little different. He developed a lot of great talent and knew how to adapt to the talent that he had. But aside from just coaching, he also taught history in Cuba City for over 30 years. Petitgoue dedicated his life to the development of young people both on and off the court, and his name will be remembered statewide and, maybe more importantly, in Cuba City, where he is remembered fondly and helped foster a love of basketball across town.

On other topics, the finances of college sports are changing. A judge has ruled that colleges can only share around $20 million with their athletes every year, effectively putting a salary cap on all college sports. Now, NIL still needs to be discussed, and the lawyers are still going to be very happy padding their pocketbooks with future litigation, but it’s finally a step in the right direction. Maybe. How will that $20 million be distributed between teams? $9 million for football, $9 million for basketball, and scraps for everything else? Just look at how many medals UW Madison’s Track and Field team is bringing in, how much are they entitled to? While there will be more lawsuits in the future, at least it’s the beginning of some guardrails and hopefully they do it right.

Moving to the NFL, Jaire Alexander is gone from the Green Bay Packers. There is a lot of good and a lot of bad with that. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best cornerbacks in the league. But he needs to be healthy, and since 2021 he’s only played in about half of the games. The Packers are going to be a bit shaky in the cornerback position this season, Lucas thinks. Even if their starters are alright, what happens when one of them gets hurt? Do you bring out Bo Melton? Finally, Aaron Rodgers finally has a team to play for this upcoming season: the Pittsburgh Steelers. They got him for a steal too at around $13 million base salary. They’ve had a rough few years with at their quarterback position, so they better not squander the fantastic deal they just got. Rodgers can still throw, and his football brain is still there. While he might not be as mobile as he once was, he’s still a threat. We will see how much of a threat he really is when the Packers play them in Pittsburgh though…

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tom Thibodeau is Kind Of a Scapegoat and The Red Hot Brewers Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, there is some breaking news as we begin recording as the Knicks announce that they have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after their playoffs loss. Is he a scapegoat for that loss? Kind of. He’s not a bad coach, and he has a good track record of getting teams a long way. Sure, he got them into the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a very long time. But can he get his teams over the top? He won 56% of his games with the Knicks, and didn’t get along great with all of his players. One thing is known for sure is that whoever their next coach is will have a tough job. Not only do the Knicks have a bad owner, but they’re in New York. When you play in New York, everything you do is going to be magnified. So who will take the job? Well, Coach Bud could use a job…

Moving to the Bucks, Oates says he’s confident that Doc Rivers will be sticking around again next season. If he were to be fired, he would have been fired by now. But the question of Giannis is still being debated, at least by some pundits. He still says he doesn’t want to leave, and it’s not like the Bucks are a destitute team. Giannis seems like he wants to play his whole career in Milwaukee, Oates thinks, they just need to find the right guys to put around him.

Finally, the Brewers are red hot in Milwaukee. As of recording on Tuesday they were on an 8-game winning streak, sweeping the Phillies over the weekend. They played them at just the right time as they came off a double header and Bryce Harper was still out of commission. Winning and losing streaks never last long in baseball, but the Brewers are starting to do what they’ve needed to do all season: hit the ball. They’re pitching is still holding up, even if it’s held together by duct tape, and they can hit up and down their entire lineup. Pat Murphey’s move to make Yelich a designated hitter and keep him out of the field has been a great call too. He’s staying healthy, at least when he isn’t being hit by pitches. Their defense is looking great too, which was a big part of their success last year. They’ll need to keep this up if they want to catch the Cubs, though, and if they want to stay competitive in a great division.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Nigel Hayes Excels in Turkey, and 100 Days Until the NFL May 28, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Wisconsin basketball superstar Nigel Hayes may not be in the NBA but he’s still making waves. 10 years after helping the Badgers get to the Final Four, he’s now playing Euroleague basketball in Turkey where he was awarded the MVP for their Final Four. There are new rumors that he might be getting some NBA tryouts in his near future, and good for him! In Wisconsin, he got better every year. While it’s difficult to watch his more recent games, clips show that he’s been continuing his upward trajectory. He’s become a really dynamic player, Oates says, which is a real asset considering he was also a real team player when he was with the Badgers.

Hayes played only a handful of games in the NBA, which is surprising considering his performance in the 2015 NCAA Championship Tournament. But when you look at that 2015 Badger Men’s Basketball team, no one has really met expectations in the NBA. Frank the Tank played for a while in the NBA, as did Sam Dekker. But none of them really made it in the NBA, which is unfortunate for such a fantastic group of players. Maybe Hayes can get another shot, but his age might be a deciding factor against him. If he doesn’t get another shot at it, hey, at least he’s likely not too upset about spending his time in Istanbul.

Turning to football, as of recording we are exactly 100 days away from the beginning of the NFL season. While the season will officially open with the Eagles taking on the Cowboys, the Packers will have a difficult week 1 as they take on the Lions. Their mandatory minicamp is just a few weeks away on June 10-12, and Lucas has to ask: what are we to focus on in this year’s camp? Do we go for the obvious and watch how Jordan Love performs? Or maybe how the team can perform with, or maybe without Jaire Alexander? He is still a big question mark for the team, but they seem to be trying to come to some sort of agreement. He takes home a pretty big paycheck, and Oates thinks that when he’s healthy he can live up to it. But the emphasis there is the word “healthy.”

With 100 days left until NFL Football, ESPN has a list out of players to watch this season that includes two Packers. The first is Edgerrin Cooper, who Oates thinks will play a major role this season. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best players on the defense, and when teaming up with Quay Walker they have a chance to really dominate. The second is Elgton Jenkins, who is anticipated to be moving to Center. He’ll be a great asset, though he’s still in a contract dispute because of his move to Center. He’s a versatile player who can move around, and he thinks he deserves a bit more money because of it. Oates says that he’s likely correct in that assessment, and the Packers should do what they can to lock him down for what will likely be the best years of his career.

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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